Understanding and treating migraine pain

Migraines are a pain. To help find some relief from migraine pain, you need to understand the symptoms and establish a treatment plan that works best for you.

• Migraine pain pulses or throbs on one or both sides of your head
• The pain can drive you from work or any activity may last, if untreated, for hours, even days
• What distinguishes a migraine is its associated symptoms such as nausea, queasiness, lack of appetite, and sensitivity to light and sound

• According to one theory, if you have migraine, then all your headaches — even the little ones — are probably a form of migraine
• Although all of us have headaches from time to time, those who develop the more severe pain of migraines may simply have a lower threshold for their triggers, such as strong odours, too little or too much sleep, bright lights, and hormone fluctuations, which can set off the trigeminal nerve, the largest nerve in the head
• Once activated, the nerve releases chemicals that cause inflammation around the brain blood vessels and nerves, triggering pain, most often around one or both eyes, the forehead, or one or both temples
• The higher the trigger load (either more of one trigger or multiple triggers at the same time), the greater the likelihood of a migraine

• Although there's no cure for migraines, there are many medicines that can stop attacks dead
• Lifestyle changes can also help and should be the foundation for managing your migraines

• Your doctor will likely suggest several treatments, including medicine for addressing acute attacks, and another drug to relieve the pain if the first one doesn't work
• Finding the right medicine or combination of medicines is a trial-and-error process. In general, if a medicine knocks you out or takes more than four hours to work, it isn't right for you
• Abortive treatments, which stop attacks, work best when you take them as soon as a migraine begins
• Depending on the frequency of attacks, your doctor may also prescribe a preventive medicine. If he does, be patient; although the right drug could halve the average number of headaches you have every month, it may take four or more weeks for you to improve and up to six months to know if a therapy is working
• Many preventive medicines must be started at a low dose and gradually increased in order to minimize side effects

If you suspect you are suffering from migraine pain, discuss treatment options with your doctor so you can get back to functioning faster.